Local Government Training Initiative – Frequently Asked Questions
Questions on Individual Scholarships
1) Who is eligible for the Local Government Training Initiative individual scholarships?
The initiative provides two categories of scholarships for individuals in qualifying counties (including municipalities within qualifying counties). Qualifying counties are those classified by the NC Department of Commerce as a Tier One County in 2020 or 2021. Check here for a list of qualifying counties. The two job categories for individual scholarships are:
a) Local government employees working at the Department Director level and below.
~Local government employees include any person directly employed by a local government or a local independent public agency (such as water/sewer authority; public housing authority; or public health agency).
~Department Director level and below includes anyone except for the top level administration of a local government jurisdiction or independent public agency. This specifically excludes: city/county manager or assistant manager; city/county attorney; executive director of an independent public agency.
b) Locally elected leaders in mayor-council municpalities (ie., not those with a council-manager form of government). Check here for a list of mayor-council municipalities in qualifying counties.
2) Do I need to submit and application to receive a scholarship?
No, a separate application is not required. Your scholarship will be automatically applied as a discount by the School of Government’s online registration system. When registering, be sure to enter the appropriate responses when prompted if you meet the eligibility criteria as described in FAQ # 1.
3) What is the value of the scholarship? How much will I need to pay out of pocket?
The current value of the Local Government Training Initiative scholarships is 20% of the total course enrollment fee (which varies by course). You or your organization will be responsible for the remaining 80%. Scholarship values may change depending on available funding.
4) Which courses can I apply my scholarship to?
Scholarships are available for all open enrollment (not application based) School of Government Courses in local government management, administration, leadership, governance, law, and finance. Some classes may have a scholarship cap. Check here to see our courses.
Questions on Fundamental and Advanced Supervisory Training- Fundamental Supervisory Practices (FSP) and Advanced Supervisory Practices (ASP)
1) Are the FSP and ASP courses offered as part of the Golden LEAF Foundation Local Government Training Intiative different from the FSP and ASP open-enrollment courses?
The course content in these targeted offerings for Tier One participants will parallel that of general open enrollment FSP and ASP sessions. Group discussion in the targeted Tier One offerings will be tailored to the uniques opportuniteis and challenges faced by public professionals from qualifying counties. As a participant from a qualifying county, you can participate in either a targeted Tier One offering, or a general open-enrollment offering.
2) If I am from a qualifying local government, how much will I need to pay to participate in the targeted Tier One Fundamental Supervisory Practices course?
You or your local government organization will need to pay $400 to participate in a Golden LEAF supported offering of Fundamental Supervisory Practices. The normal open enrollment cost is $1,600.
3) I’m working toward my NCGFOA Finance Officer certification, and Fundamental Supervisory Practices is one of the required courses. If I take the course sponsored by Golden LEAF, does that count toward my certification?
Yes, the material covered in this course will prepare you to take the NCGFOA certification exam in the same way as the open-enrollment FSP.
If you still have questions, or would like additional information, please contact us.